Kazakh parable Once upon a time in one village there lived a beardless cunning man, Aldar-Kose. His eyes were sharp, his legs were quick, his hands were agile, and his mind was even quicker. Aldar-Kose loved to joke and laugh, especially at fools and misers. He had no wealth, but by cunning he more than once obtained a fat lamb for dinner.
Zhatyr-bai was a greedy and stupid man. His herds were large: he would start counting at dawn and finish at sunset. Aldar-Kose came to him one day and said:
- Honorable bay, I have two rubles, but no wallet. I walk around, holding money in my hand - my hand is tired. I want to get rid of this money. Won't you help me?
- Come on, come on, I’ll help! - the bai was delighted. - Just tell me how?
“Sell me some poor little goat for two rubles,” says Aldar-Kose.
I thought and thought: “Well, we can sell it.” He caught a lame little goat in the herd, skinny, barely alive, with only two days left before death, and gives it to Aldar-Kosa:
“Here, take it, even though it’s a pity to give it away so cheaply.” Good kid. Give me two rubles!
Aldar-Kose took the kid and held the money in his fist:
- You know what, venerable bai. I changed my mind. Take two rubles and a kid in addition, and give me the lamb.
“Well, that’s not a bad exchange,” thought the Bai, “two rubles and a kid of goat to boot!” - and went to catch the lamb. He caught the smallest one and gives it to Aldar-Kosa:
- Here, take it. Good lamb. Give me two rubles and a kid.
Aldar-Kose took the lamb, but holds the money in his fist and does not let go of the kid:
- You know what, venerable bai. I changed my mind. Take two rubles, a kid and a lamb in addition, and give me the goat.
“Not a bad exchange,” thought the Bai, “two rubles and a kid, and a lamb to boot.” And he went to catch the goat. He caught the skinniest one and gives it to Aldar-Kosa:
- Here, take it, good goat. Give me two rubles, a kid and a lamb.
- Wait, wait, honorable bay! - says Aldar-Kose. - I changed my mind. Take two rubles, a kid, a lamb and a goat in addition, and give me only one ram, but let me choose it myself.
“This exchange is more profitable than all others! - thought the delighted bai. “Two rubles, a kid, a lamb, and a goat to boot—and all this for one ram!” And Aldar-Kosa says:
- Well, choose!
Aldar-Kose chose the biggest, fattest ram for himself, gave the bai two rubles, a kid, a lamb and a goat in addition, put the ram on his shoulders and went, and Bai Zhatyr-bai chuckled, rubbing his hands:
- What a fool Aldar-Kose is! He gave so much good for just one ram!
Bai still didn’t understand which of them was the fool.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru